Supporting foot



Y 1933- c. w. BRAWLEY 1,911,010

SUPPORTING FOOT Filed Feb. 1.8, 1950 Patented Ma 23,1933

qnAnEnonwiLnmM annwtnmor 3300m new Yonx l SUPPORTING FOOTApplication'filed'Februal-y 18,1930. Serial N 4g9, a44.1

f invention relates to supporting feet, of the general type used forsupporting a light and delicate machine asthe same rests upona desk ortable. a

' 1 More particularly stated, I seek. to produce i a supporting footsuitable for genera-l use in :therelation ust mentioned, butspecifically ,adapte'dfor supporting a typing machine.

Inthis connection it may be statedthat a \msupporting foot for a typingmachine .or

analogous mechanism should be so constructed and arranged as toameliorate as far a as practicable theeffects of incessant pounding ofthe-human fingers upon the keyboard J of the machine, and also to takeup any lost motion as betweenthe frame of the machine and thedesk ortable upon which it is supported, and further to provide againstscratching or other disfiguration of the desk a Ktop orthelikeupon whichthe machlne may be placed. a V a p I endeavor to obtain the advantagesJust mentioned, bymeans of a supportlng foot of such form as to be cheapto manufacture, rel

a able in action, easily removed andreplaced,

andcomposed of parts readily standardized and, in every way suitable efor, quantity production, and adapted for use as separate feet wiforawide range ofdifferent articles including not only typing andlike machnes but other articles for instance telephones, desk trays andfboxes ofvarious kinds, and radio cabinets etc/.3 a, s i a 1 I endeavor furtherto provldea supporting foot which may if desiredbe made up in a part ofa member which extendsscommon to amultipleof feet, said member forinstance being suitable to V constitute the bottom 'wall of a cabinet orbox andthe footstructures being formed thereonat spacednointssuitablefor properly supporting the cabinet or Xbox. I h IOtherobjectsand aims {of the invention,

A5 more or less specific than those fre ferredlto above, ywillbe impartobvious and inpart pointed out in the course of the followingdescription of the elements, combinations,

arrrangements of parts and applications of principles, constituting theinvention and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated inthe appended claims,

Inthe accompanying drawing which isjto be taken as apart of thisspecification, and in WlllCh I have shown merely a preferredfform fie Vof embodiment of=the invention Figure l is a substantially verticalsection through one form of my improved supporting foot, and shows thesame as ,mounte'd upon a typing machine frame. a 6, Figure 2 is asubstantially central section through another formof supporting footmade in accordance with my inventiom but somewhat simpler than the form,shown ,in

Figure 1. v e A Figure 8 is a perspeotiveview of a sheet metal platehaving a plurality of footlstjrnctures provided thereon, and

Fig. 4 is'a sectional view taken substaritially upon the plane of lineVI-VIofFig- Z ure 5 and showing the'plate as it {would ,a'p-

pear in use forming. the bottom wallof a radio cabinet. y a

A portion of the frame of a typingemachine isshown at 5, and is providedwith a'l 'basemember 6 integral therewith, this {base member havingathreaded. opening ,7.

A screw 8 is fittedinto the threaded opening 7, and is thus detachablycarried bytlie a; base member 6. .This screw is providedzwitlrfi aeonvex head 9, which has a slot 10, to facilitate its engagement by anOrdinary screw driver. a

A metallic eyelet is shown at, 11 and is, providedwitha pairofannularfianges 12,13, ma-$ tegral-with it and each of substantiallymushroom form.

The eyelet 11 extends through a circular washer 14 made of softandresil-ient material, preferablytelt, and providedwithlarcentral-i-wi? openingilti. a a

a The washer leis sandwiched between .an

, outer meta-llicshell 16:.and anjin ner metaillic shell 17 each shellhaving the priox imate form of a don1e,the outer, shell 1 6 having-aAlonger cross diameter than the inner shell 17.

By virtue of theido nerlike form of each of thetwo shells 16, 17, thefeltwvasher lt, is

given a general cup-like The felt Wa r is Pr vided wi a annular po tio 918 which is substantially angular in cross section at its lower edge, asmay be understood from Figure 1.

The weight of the frame 5 and part carried thereby rests directly uponthe annular edge 18, which in practice flattens out a little, to fitupon a table or desk.

In the form shown in Figure 2 the felt washer 14 and the outer dome 16each have a form like that shown in Figure 1 and above v described.

However, the inner dome shown in Figure 2 has the form indicated at 19in that figure, and is provided with a neck-portion integral with it andterminating in an annular flange 21. The annular flange 21 extendsslightly over and engages an annular portion 22 of the outer dome 16.Thus the neck portion 20 serves essentially as an eyelet, in much thesame manner as the eyelet 11 above described with reference to'Figure 1.The chief difference between the form of my device shown in Figure 1 andthe form shown in Figure 2 is, that in Figure 2 there are only twometallic members connected permanently with the washer 14, whereas inFigure 1 there are three metallic members so connected.

f I have found in practice that each form of my inventionis remarkablyefficient, in the relation here contemplated.

By the use of my improved supporting foot the Weight of the supportingframe'and mechanism carried thereby is distributed equally, orsubstantially so, as between the several feet employed, of which thereare usually four. 7

The washer 14 is preferably formed originally as a simple flat disk ofsheet felt, with a hole at its centre, and it'is given the efficient cupor dome-like shape, as shown, by reason of the fact that it is clampedbetween two opposing cupped or dome-like members. This disposes theannular edge portion of the disk projecting downwardly at an outflaringangle and condenses and ruflies said edge portion so that it constitutesa desirably firm cushion for engagement with a polished table top or thelike.

Because of the softness and resilience of the washer 14, due to thematerial of which it is made and the manner in which it is formed up,there is little or no lost motion as between the supporting feet and thedesk or table upon which the same may rest. Since the annular edge 18flattens out in consequence of the weight resting upon it, thesupporting foot is to some extent automatically formed or shaped to restupon the supporting surface which it engages.

Where the mechanism supported is subjected to incessant pounding, as bythe action of human fingers upon a keyboard, the jar and shock isgreatly ameliorated, both as to the fingers and the machine, by the useof my device. The machine is also protected from extrinsic vibrations.

In each form of my invention the structure is relatively simple. Thevarious parts may be readily standardized and adapted for quantityproduction.

In .the form of my device appearing in Figures 5 and 6 it iscontemplated that the outer shell member as 84 thereof, corresponding-With the shell 16 of Figures 1 and 2, shall be A felt washer 14 isfitted into the dome-like cavity provided by each of the projections andis held in its dome-like form by an inner shell and separate eyelet asin Figure 1, or by a combined inner shell and eyelet as in Figure 2. Asillustrated the structure corresponds with that shown in Figure 2, and

while the plate 35 may be attached to the bottom of the radio cabinet orthe like, as

36, by any appropriate means it is contemplated that screws or rivetsextending through the centres of the foot structures may continue intoengagement with portions of the cabinet for this purpose.

In instances where the cabinet contains some element, as forexample theso-called chassis as 37 of a radio set, the screws may engage suchchassis to serve the double purpose of clamping the chassis againstsuitable stops as 38 within the cabinet and at the same time clampingthe plate 35, with its improved cupped feet, in position as the bottomof the cabinet.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, itis intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shownin the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted as illustrative onlyand not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what 'I'claim' as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is I 1. A device of the class describedcomprismg a sheet metal member having a cupshaped depression formed atone surface thereof and having an openingtherethrough centrally of saiddepression, a normally fiat disc of felt having a central opening there-7 through mating theopening of said depres tral opening therethrough andhaving a ment with the first sheet metal member to hold the two sheetmetal members connected together and to clamp the felt disc in cup-shapewithin the depression of the first sheet metal member, the marginalportions of the felt disc projecting beyond the outer margin of thedepression of said first sheet metal member, and the opening through thesecond sheet metal member and through the sleeve providing means toreceive an attaching element by which the whole may be connected with anarticle to be supported.

2. A device of the class described comprising a sheet metal memberhaving a cupshaped depression formed at one surface 2 thereof and havingan opening therethrough centrally of said depression, a member of felthaving a central opening mating the opening of said depression, a secondsheet metal member of a size to be received within the depression of thefirst sheet metal member and having a central opening therethrough, saidsecond sheet metal member being formed with an integral sleevecontinuing from said opening and extending through the mating 1 openingsof the felt and first sheet metal member and having its end flanged overupon the surface of the first sheet metal member to hold the two sheetmetal members connected together and to clamp the felt member 1 into thedepression of the first sheet metal member, the marginal portions of thefelt member projecting beyond the outer margin of the depression of thefirst sheet metal memcentrally of said depression, a member of felthaving a central opening mating the opening of said depression, a secondsheet metal member of a size to be received within the depression of thefirst sheet metal member. and having a central opening therethrough alsomating the opening of said depression, one of said sheet metalmembersbeing formed with an integral sleeve continuing from its centralopening and extending through the mating openings of the felt and of theother sheet metal member andbeing flanged vover upon the surface of saidother sheet metal member to hold the two sheet metal members connected-together and to clamp the felt and the openings through said sheetmetal members and through the sleeve providing means to receive theattaching element by which the whole may be connected with an article tobe supported.

4;. A supporting foot comprising a circular washer made of soft andresilient material and provided with an opening, an outer metallic shelland an inner metallic shell engaging opposite faces of said washer andeach provided with an opening, and an eyelet forming part extendingthrough said washer and being connected with said inner and out ershells to hold all of said parts assembled adapted to receive fasteningmeans therethrough.

5. A supporting foot comprising a circular washer, made of soft andresilient material and provided centrally with an opening, an outermetallic shell and an inner metallic shell engaging opposite faces ofsaid washer and each provided with an opening, an eyelet extendingthrough said washer and through said outer shell and said inner shell,and a screw extending through said eyelet.

6. A supporting foot comprising a substantially circular normally fiatwasher made of soft and resilient material and provided with an opening,an outer metallic shell engaging one face of said washer and having theproximate form of a cup, a similarly shaped inner shell engaging theopposite face of said washer, the two cup-shaped shells facing in thesame direction, and said inner shell being provided with a neck portionintegral therewith and extending through the opening in said washer andengaging said outer shell serving to hold the shells connected to clampthe washer into cup-shape between the shells, the annular marginalportions of the washer projecting beyond the margin of the shells.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CLARENCE WILLIAM BRAWLEY.

member within said depression, the marginal 1 portions of the feltmember projecting be- 65 yond the outer marginof said depression,

